Am I Disabled? A Personal Reflection on Aging, Vision, Hearing, and the Definition of Disability
By
Gavin A Neate
Summary
The author reflects on their personal journey with age-related vision loss (presbyopia) and hearing loss, prompted by a visit to the audiology department with their stepdad. They grapple with the question of whether needing glasses and hearing aids qualifies as being "disabled," and explore the broader, nuanced definition of disability. The article is a personal, introspective piece that examines the spectrum of disability and how society defines it.
Source
bskyAm I Disabled? A Personal Reflection on Aging, Vision, Hearing, and the Definition of Disabilitybuff.lyKey quotes
· 4 pulledEight years ago, on waking, I began to notice I was blinking a few times before the text on my phone became clear.
A trip to Vision Express ended with a prescription for reading glasses, and a couple of weeks later, when I popped them on, the words snapped into focus.
I was getting older; people wear glasses. It all felt pretty normal.
am I disabled, and perhaps even more to the point, what is disability?
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